


Love O'clock

by yoonyuten (sunflowerhsh)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, bestfriends who kiss, kind of, pretty much married already, thats it, they own a cat, tired student jeonghan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowerhsh/pseuds/yoonyuten
Summary: “You even order food for him now?” Soonyoung asks, face plastered with a mischievous grin.“Well, he isn’t back yet and pasta is the only thing he eats,” Junhui tries to reason with him, it doesn’t work.“I think that’s bullshit,” Soonyoung replies back.“What are you implying?”“Are you guys finally dating?” Seungkwan asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
Relationships: Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Love O'clock

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this is my first time writing junhan even if it's one of my favorite pairings. Happy Valentine's Day!
> 
> Thanks again to the loml Angie for helping me with this work and listening to my rants, also, Maria bb thank you for supporting me through this.

Jeonghan is late. He’s running late, _again_. Junhui should’ve known better than to trust Yoon Jeonghan when he said he was going to be on time when they both agreed to watch a movie after class. Junhui got there early since his class got cancelled and got popcorn and drinks for the both of them. Junhui’s positive Jeonghan doesn’t have a class at this hour, so he probably overslept or spent too much time trying to decide what to wear, his ‘dress to impress, Junnie’ excuse was running ragged by now. Also, it doesn’t make sense since Jeonghan wears oversized shirts and sweatpants most of the time.

It started like this: Junhui met Jeonghan during his freshman year when they were assigned as roommates. There were no awkward phases, talking to Jeonghan felt easy since the very beginning so living together was never uncomfortable. Both of them have been attached to the hip since the start, and despite adding more friends to their circle, they still remain as close as ever.

Junhui glances at his watch for the 20th time, Jeonghan is already 10 minutes late. Junhui shakes his head in disappointment, considering that Jeonghan was the one who wanted to watch this stupid horror movie. Just as he was cursing Jeonghan in his mind, he sees a mop of disheveled blonde hair running in his direction.

“Junnie! I’m sorry, I overslept,” Jeonghan cries, out of breath. He puts both of his hands on his head. He looks like a mess, hair strands poking out in all directions. He’s wearing the same skinny jeans he wore yesterday and a shirt Junhui is completely sure is his, and as the cherry on top, his shoelaces are untied.

“Jeonghan, you look like shit,” Junhui says with a sigh. At this point he’s not even surprised at Jeonghan’s antics, he just accepts them. He can’t stay mad at him for too long either.

“Thank you, sweetheart, how did you know that that’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Jeonghan tells him with an offended look on his face.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m a gentleman, now move that ass, the movie is starting,” Junhui rolls his eyes.

“Oh! You got us popcorn!” Jeonghan says as they walk inside the cinema.

“Us? What are you talking about? The popcorn is mine,” Junhui jokes as he moves the tray to the side, away from Jeonghan.

“Meanie,” Jeonghan says with a smile. He knows Junhui wouldn’t do that to him.

What a horrible movie. A very lame plot with some barely decent jump scares in his opinion. Jeonghan complained the whole movie, they were lucky so few people were watching the movie at that hour, because otherwise they would’ve been kicked out for sure.

At some point, Jeonghan snuggled to his side, saying he was cold. For real, he’s worse than a leech, always glued to Junhui’s side saying he’s warm or that he smells good. Not that Junhui hates it, he enjoys Jeonghan’s company and puts up with his weird antics. If anything, he finds Yoon Jeonghan very endearing, and sometimes he feels like he’s taking care of a child.

“I’m hungry now, the popcorn wasn’t enough,” Jeonghan points out.

“You’re hungry? You ate almost the whole bucket by yourself!” Junhui says in disbelief, amazed by Jeonghan’s ability to eat. Where does all that food go? How does he remain slender when he eats like there’s no tomorrow?

“I’ll treat you to dinner, since you paid for the popcorn,” Jeonghan says, shooting Junhui a wink.

Dinner is McDonald’s because that’s what Jeonghan was craving, and they order to go because they prefer eating at home. Junhui should’ve expected that there is no way Jeonghan was going to treat him to some expensive dinner, but he wasn’t thinking about greasy hamburgers. The walk home is uneventful, the sky is dark as it transitions to darker shades of blue, the street lights are already turned on and the weather is getting chillier. He can feel Jeonghan already perched to his side, complaining about the cold weather, hugging Junhui tighter.

“I am not a human heater, Hannie,” Junhui mutters, but he’s not really mad. Jeonghan gets cold easily, so he’s glad that he’s able to help him even if it’s just a little.

“Shhh, don’t say anything. Let’s just get home faster,” Jeonghan says, voice muffled as his face is buried into Junhui's side.

“You’re gonna trip if you don’t look ahead,” Junhui says, worried. But he extends his arm to hug Jeonghan closer so he doesn’t fall.

When they get to their shared apartment, the first thing Jeonghan does is run to the couch and wrap himself with the fuzzy blanket they usually keep there.

“Finally, warmth!” Jeonghan sighs, relieved.

Junhui can hear meows growing closer to them as their cat, Ina, joins them in the living room. He takes off his shoes faster, puts their food on the table and then goes back to the living room. Jeonghan is snuggling with his favorite white fur ball on his arms, as she purrs loudly. Junhui caresses her fur with care, earning a soft meow from Ina.

Jeonghan and Junhui got Ina not long after they moved into the apartment they live in now. Junhui always wanted to get a cat, and unlike their last this apartment complex allowed pets which meant there was nothing stopping him from getting one, except for Jeonghan.

Jeonghan said no at first, saying it was too much responsibility to raise a cat; but after begging him for a week, giving him puppy eyes and fixing him lunch every day, he finally gave in. They went to a cat shelter, fell in love with a white kitten and the kitten fell in love with them as well.

“C’mon, the food is gonna get even colder,” Junhui says. He takes Ina into his arms and nudges Jeonghan into getting up.

Junhui walks to their small dining table, unwraps their now cold hamburgers and fries, sits down and waits for Jeonghan to join him. Jeonghan comes waddling with the blanket still all over his body. He smiles at Junhui, and sits in front of him. They start munching their food without saying a word. It feels comfortable to be able to feel at ease with someone.

It feels as if it has always both of them, who live in a shared space, spending their youth together, becoming each other's support and hyping system. Junhui himself is miles away from home, but with Jeonghan by his side he has never felt homesick. Yes, he misses his family sometimes, but it never gets unbearable. Jeonghan always makes sure he’s feeling good, included and loved. Junhui does the same for Jeonghan, helps him whenever he can, reassures him when he’s being insecure, talks to him when he’s sad and never leaves him alone. It’s always the two of them.

💘

"I can't believe we're going out during finals week," Junhui mutters, but doesn't stop buttoning up his shirt.

"It's just dinner, it's not like we're going to party all night," Jeonghan reasons as he’s choosing jewelry for both of them.

"Why did Mingyu's birthday have to be today?" Junhui groans. He throws himself to the bed and spreads his body like a starfish.

"Be lucky Minghao settled for dinner and not a party, he still has some respect for our grades," Jeonghan says, walking to the bed and then sits on the edge. He extends his hand in Junhui's direction, saying, “Wear these, they suit your outfit."

Junhui takes the jewelry from Jeonghan's hand. Jeonghan chose a thin golden necklace with a round pendant and matching hoops. Junhui hums in agreement; Jeonghan's sense is always on point.

Jeonghan himself chose a dainty silver necklace that suits the peach silky shirt he's wearing, with studded bracelets to complete the look. It's fun to watch Jeonghan trying on all of their jewelry to pick whichever suits the outfit the best, sometimes he just sits on the bed and takes all of them out, selects the ones he likes the most and then tries them on one by one.

“Let’s go, I don’t want them saying we’re the reason they’re starving,” Junhui says. He grabs his wallet and phone from the nightstand and heads to the door with Jeonghan in tow.

The restaurant Minghao picked for Mingyu’s birthday dinner is fancy. It’s not like Junhui expect any less but it’s still shocking. There are polished floors with high ceilings and chandeliers that illuminate the place with warm light, giving it a more refined feeling. A breathtaking view over the city is seen through big glass windows and white translucent curtains.

The hostess takes them to their table. They are the last ones to arrive (but they’re actually on time so they have nothing to complain about). “Finally!” Soonyoung shouts from his seat, as he watches them walking to the table.

“Woah, visual couple!” Seokmin says in a high-pitched voice and then whistles at them.

The rest of the group starts laughing and whistling, and Junhui groans in embarrassment. Can they please hold themselves back for one day? They will get kicked out for sure.

“If you don’t want to finish the night with a broken nose, I would recommend you to shut up,” Jeonghan says with a smile plastered on his face.

“Happy birthday, Mingyu!” Junhui says with enthusiasm, brushing off Jeonghan’s comment. He can be scary sometimes.

“Hey, glad you guys could make it,” Mingyu says with a full smile, displaying his pearly white canines. Mingyu became a model during his second year of college, with the help of his boyfriend Minghao, who is a photography major. His instagram pictures went viral multiple times landing him deals with many famous brands like Calvin Klein, Prada, Saint Laurent. Nowadays he’s busy most of the time, so when they all gather together is very important to him.

“Of course, Gyu, we wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jeonghan chirps from Junhui’s side.

“Jeonghan, come with me,” Minghao says, getting up from the chair beside Mingyu.

Jeonghan nods, confused but he still follows Minghao.

Junhui looks at them exiting the restaurant, what’s going on?

“Don’t worry, they went to fetch the cake from the car. Minghao most likely asked Jeonghan since he was standing up already,” Mingyu reasons.

“Let’s order meanwhile,” Jihoon says.

“Sure,” Mingyu replies.

A waiter appears to take their orders, Junhui eyes the menu as the rest of the guys order, trying to decide what to eat. When the waiter reaches his side, he tells her his order and orders pasta for Jeonghan.

“You even order food for him now?” Soonyoung asks, face plastered with a mischievous grin.

“Well, he isn’t back yet and pasta is the only thing he eats,” Junhui tries to reason with him, it doesn’t work.

“I think that’s bullshit,” Soonyoung replies back.

“What are you implying?”

“Are you guys finally dating?” Seungkwan asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yes, we’re actually getting married next week,” Jeonghan says as he approaches the table, cake box in hand.

“Wait, for real?” Seungkwan says. He looks taken aback by Jeonghan’s comment. Junhui wants to laugh, but keeps his expression neutral.

“Of course, right Junnie?” He looks at Junhui.

Junhui nods, “We’ll give out invitations after dinner.” Junhui adds fuel to the fire when he leans in and pecks Jeonghan’s cheek.

Most of their friends remained silent, eyes wide, some of them covering their mouths. The silence is abysmal, the only thing Junhui could hear was Minghao arranging cake on the table. He laughs, of course Minghao would be in on it, but other than that, they finally managed to finally make the rest shut up.

When Minghao is done, he sighs. “Guys, they’re obviously joking, this is embarrassing.” He facepalms, even his boyfriend is still in shock.

Soonyoung starts laughing, “You almost got me this time,” he says.

“But seriously, are you guys really not dating?” Seungcheol asks, eyebrows furrowed.

“Who knows, maybe we are, maybe we aren’t,” Jeonghan says in a singing voice that sounds more like he’s mocking Seungcheol.

“You are so annoying, Yoon Jeonghan,” Seungcheol replies, sulking.

“Talking about boyfriends. How are things working out with Joshua?”

Seungcheol groans, signaling that Jeonghan won this round. Seungcheol has been trying to woo Jeonghan’s friend, Joshua, for months now.

“Ask him out already, stop giving him mixed signals,” Jeonghan scolds him.

“I’d love to watch you bicker all night, but this is my night,” Mingyu tells them.

“Of course, how could we forget tonight is all about our superstar Mingyu”.

They eat while catching up, in between anecdotes and jokes, smiles and gentle ribbing. Once the food is over, they gather around to sing happy birthday. Yellow hues hit Mingyu's face warmly. He smiles while the rest of the boys sing to him, as he moves his head along the rhythm of the happy birthday song. Mingyu closes his eyes and after a few seconds, he blows up the candles from the cake; everyone else starts clapping and whistling and Mingyu smiles brighter. He takes Minghao's hand, pulls him closer and kisses him sweetly, thanking him for organizing this dinner. Even after many years of dating, Minghao still gets red when Mingyu does sudden things like this.

💘

They manage to make it out of their midterms alive, that's already a great thing. Junhui has been living one meal a day, sometimes two when his stomach growled and disturbed him from finishing his projects. He's kind of lucky he studies psychology, since most of his midterms are actually lengthy projects and not actually exams but it still drains him completely. By the end of the week, he’s exhausted, when he's finally done with his last project, he lets out a relieved sigh. He quickly submits it to avoid a repeat of the beginning of the week, when his computer died on him before he had the chance to submit his project. After successfully completing his work and double checking everything, he can only think about crashing on the bed and waking up when his body is ready, no more setting up 5 alarms to avoid oversleeping.

Looking at his surroundings, the apartment looks empty and dark; Junhui stretches his arms and back with difficulty, if Jeonghan was here he would probably tell Junhui that he must hate his body for spending too many hours hunched in the same position. Now that he thinks about it, he actually hasn't seen Jeonghan much this week, with the both of them having different schedules and irregular sleeping patterns, both of them end up crashing in random parts of the apartment.

He walks to the bedroom, where he’s welcomed with a body sprawled all over the bed. When did Jeonghan even get here? Was Junhui too focused on his project to notice? It's strange, Jeonghan is usually very loud when he gets home, his usual a 'darling, I'm home' and Junhui is sure Jeonghan left for his exam in the morning.

He looks at Jeonghan's sleeping figure and softens. Jeonghan fell asleep with his glasses and lab coat on. He must have been tired. Junhui remembers preparing some tea for Jeonghan, as an attempt to ease his mind. He walks to the bed, and carefully removes the glasses from Jeonghan's face, trying to not wake him up. Jeonghan stirs and slowly opens his eyes. He shoots Junhui a sleepy smile, making groping hands, signaling Junhui to join him on the bed.

"Only if you take that coat off, who knows where it has been," Junhui says softly.

"It's clean, I only wore it because the professor asked us to," Jeonghan says, dazed, sleep evident in his voice.

"Okay," Junhui quickly complies as he finally joins Jeonghan on the bed.

Jeonghan makes an affirmative hum as Junhui finally indulges into cuddling. Jeonghan is a very affectionate person. He's very touchy with Junhui, he puts his head on the juncture between Junhui’s neck and shoulders, he draws circles on Junhui’s back with his fingers, hums happily as he plays with Junhui’s hair. Jeonghan treats him sweetly, always pampering him with hugs and kisses; Junhui can't even be mad, he loves it too, so he does the same with Jeonghan, and needless to say, the other one is delighted.

Sleeping on the same bed is not unusual for them, hasn’t been for a while. The first time it happened, it was winter and their heater stopped working, and it could only be repaired once the streets were safe enough so the technician could come by their apartment. Sleeping together to share heat was Jeonghan's brilliant idea, although it didn't work as well as they expected. It was still cold as hell but Junhui has to admit it was a little more bearable. The second time it happened, it was raining hard at night. By the time Jeonghan headed to bed, ready to sleep, he sat down and the mattress was wet; there was a leak on the roof, right above his bed. In true Jeonghan fashion he started whining like a baby, Junhui only stood by the door frame watching the scene, until he decided to help Jeonghan move the bed and then suggested to sleep together for the night. Junhui could've sworn he saw Jeonghan's eyes sparkle after the suggestion, because he said yes very fast. After that, Jeonghan kept coming back to Junhui’s room saying things like, ‘Junnie I’m cold’, ‘Junnie I’m scared after watching that movie’ even though probably the last time Jeonghan was phased by a horror movie was puberty; other times he sled into Junhui’s bed murmuring that he had a nightmare.

Just like that, they stopped sleeping in separate rooms and just turned Junhui's room into theirs, they even got a bigger bed. Jeonghan's old room became a work room, they bought a desk and a comfortable chair; they also used that room as a closet, which considering their shopping sprees was a need.

Junhui sighs, tiredness finally kicking in. His muscles relax as they rest against the mattress; his sight goes blurry so he closes his eyes. He can feel Jeonghan’s body pressing closer to him, and he feels immediately warmer. Jeonghan smells like his strawberry shampoo and coffee, and Junhui is so used to the smell that his mind starts shutting down slowly, feeling at ease until he falls asleep.

He doesn't know how much time has passed, but when he wakes up the room is dark, as well as the sky through the window. Junhui rolls on the bed only to find out Jeonghan is no longer with him. He groans. Where is he? He can hear some noise coming from the other room, which means Jeonghan is either watching a drama or cooking; although the second one isn’t a real option since there is no way Jeonghan would willingly step on the kitchen, Junhui is the one who usually cooks for both of them and Jeonghan is in charge of cleaning.

Junhui reluctantly leaves the bed, his stomach rumbles and he remembers that he hasn’t eaten anything today besides the banana Jeonghan gave him before leaving early this morning, his muscles are sore, screaming at him to get back to bed and rest a little bit more. When he exits the room, he is welcomed by an unusual scene, Jeonghan is in fact, in the kitchen, cooking. Junhui rubs his eyes in confusion, this must be a fever dream, but when he opens his eyes again, Jeonghan is still there, stirring a pot. As if noticing Junhui’s presence near him, Jeonghan looks up and his face lights up.

“Junnie, I’m making soup for dinner!” Jeonghan says enthusiastically.

Jeonghan is cooking soup for them? Why? Junhui looks at him with a puzzled expression, in hopes of Jeonghan telepathically understanding his internal turmoil.

“Don’t look at me like that, I know you didn’t eat before going to bed,” he accuses Junhui with a spoon.

Junhui now looks at him in disbelief, how did Jeonghan know he didn’t eat? He’s touched Jeonghan decided to cook for him even though he knows Jeonghan rather eat a whole onion than stepping into the kitchen; it’s not that he can’t cook, Jeonghan only cooks when Junhui has a tight schedule and can’t make it home until late at night. That’s why he’s the one in charge of most of their meals.

“You should set the table, Junnie,” Jeonghan sing songs as he serves the food.

“Right,” Junhui replies. He walks to their tiny table and gathers all of the papers that were scattered over it.

Jeonghan brings the food and sits in the chair in front of Junhui. Everything looks delicious, he even prepared side dishes, Junhui is going to tear up at the sight, maybe it is because he is really hungry. He doesn’t even wait for Jeonghan to finish setting the plates when he takes the first spoonful, the food tastes as good as it looks. Junhui doesn’t know if he’s being biased but after his mom’s food, Jeonghan’s food is his favorite.

Jeonghan looks at him with wide eyes. “I take it you’re hungry,” he laughs as he leans closer to Junhui and cleans his chin with a napkin.

Junhui laughs too, he didn’t notice he made quite a mess of himself. He defends himself and says, “the food is delicious.”

Jeonghan scrunches his nose. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, that’s disgusting.”

Jeonghan tells him how his exam went today, and how it was easier than he expected it to go, Junhui nodding along.

“Of course it was easy, you studied hard and you’re smart,” Junhui smiles at him.

“Stop,” Jeonghan says, his cheeks look darker under their poorly illuminated room.

Cute. Junhui thinks. Jeonghan gets shy easily, despite his outgoing personality, he usually gets flustered when Junhui compliments him. Junhui loves to tease him so he makes sure to praise him here and there, smiling when he manages to tint Jeonghan’s cheeks pink.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Junhui asks. He quickly gathers the dishes and heads to the kitchen.

“Sure,” Jeonghan says, he still hasn't moved from his chair.

“Choose while I do the dishes,” Junhui says from the kitchen, it’s the least he can do.

When he finishes washing the dishes, he dries up his hands and heads to the living room. Jeonghan is still struggling to find a movie on Netflix, lips in a pout and furrowed eyebrows. Ina is prettily set on Jeonghan’s lap, fast asleep.

“What do you wanna watch?” Jeonghan says without sparing him a glance, too busy looking at the screen.

Junhui, in an attempt to save him from his misery, says, “what about a studio Ghibli film?”

“Which one?” Jeonghan says, already searching for them.

“Let’s watch your favorite one,” Junhui says. He can hear Jeonghan humming. It has actually been a while since they watched it.

“So, _Howl’s Moving Castle_ it is,” Jeonghan says, Junhui can notice he’s excited to watch it again, this movie never gets old.

Ina, noticing Jeonghan’s enthusiasm, jumps from his lap and settles on her tower. Junhui makes himself comfortable at one corner of the couch, extending his legs.

“Hey!” Jeonghan takes one of his legs and pushes it to the ground. “You’re too big for the couch.”

“I fit the couch perfectly, thank you very much,” Junhui retorts. He’s laughing at this point. With his legs he manages to pull Jeonghan closer, so his head rests on Junhui’s chest.

“See, this is more comfortable,” Junhui reasons. He earns a scoff from Jeonghan but he doesn’t move, only rearranges his legs so they end up tangled with Junhui’s.

"I can see you're comfortable now," Junhui says in a teasing way but circles his arm around Jeonghan's waist to keep him in place. Jeonghan hums, snuggling closer to Junhui's body. They watch the rest of the movie like that, both laying comfortable on the couch without speaking; the sound coming from the tv and their breathing is the only thing resonating in the room. But it's not awkward, if anything, Junhui feels at ease like this with Jeonghan by his side watching an old movie, just his presence is enough to relax him.

💘

Junhui is peacefully having his well-deserved afternoon coffee at a homey coffee shop near campus when his peace is quickly disrupted by a hyper smiley Soonyoung and an overly enthusiastic Seokmin crashing his table. He puts his cup down and sighs, it has been a long day of attending patients at the college clinic, he really doesn't need noise right now. He still greets the boys politely because despite them being a pain in the ass, they’re Junhui's friends.

"Hey guys, what brings you here today?" Junhui says, folding his hands near his abdomen.

"Seokmin and I were walking to class and saw you through the window," Soonyoung starts explaining.

"And we thought we should come in and say hi," Seokmin finishes the short story.

Junhui smiles, even if he's tired he can't get mad at them for coming all the way here to say hi. These days it gets difficult to hang out together, too many assignments and too little time to finish them all in time and have time to have a social life at the same time, one needs to be sacrificed and it sadly can't be the assignments.

"Jun, are you still interested in dating?" Soonyoung asks, as he finally sits in the chair in front of Junhui. Seokmin automatically sets on Soonyoung's lap, instead of looking for another chair.

Dating. Honestly, Junhui just crossed that idea of his mind a while ago. He's just too busy to even think about going out on dates with someone who would probably not call him back after the first date. That's the thing, he has tried to date in the past, but it always ended up being a disaster. Either his date ditched him in the middle of dinner or just never called him back again. He really has no idea what went wrong, he's a nice guy, has more than decent social skills, people seem to like him so he just can't completely comprehend why he sucks so bad at the dating department. To spare himself som misery he just stopped trying to date, now a firm believer of 'love will come to you in the form you least expect' or some shit like that he saw in a movie once.

Junhui takes a sip of his coffee. "Why are you asking?"

"Seokmin has a new exchange classmate in one of his classes, he's pretty hot and also very tall." Soonyoung says with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Junhui thinks he looks stupid.

"We think you should go out with him, he seems like a sweet guy" Seokmin explains.

He's thankful for his friends, thinking about his miserable love life and trying to improve it; but honestly, dating doesn't sound so appealing right now. Junhui feels comfortable with his current situation, maybe he'll be able to date when he finishes all of his assignments, yeah that sounds plausible.

"I'll think about it," it's all he says then resumes drinking his coffee.

Soonyoung and Seokmin look at him with a sheepish smile. These two together are not a good combination. What if this person ends up being a serial killer? Or even worse, a cat hater. Junhui brushes that idea to the back of his head; not today, overthinking demon. He only comes back to reality as his friends bid him goodbye, leaving for their next class.

He’s left alone again, and in the peace and tranquility, he can finally breathe.

A growing sensation of pain crawls from his back to his neck, exhaustion finally kicking his ass, he had a long day after all, he can't wait to get back home and pester Jeonghan into giving him a massage. Maybe he'll feel bad for Junhui's poor state and give in, Jeonghan's massages are the best.

His trail of thoughts is disrupted again as he notices another person sitting in front of him. Junhui recognizes him fast with his plush lips, refined nose and gentle eyes, it's no other than Joshua Hong, Jeonghan's lab and practice partner. Junhui has never really been alone with him like this, but he must admit this man is very handsome and he looks calm and collected.

"Hey," Junhui greets him, and as much as he wants to know why is Joshua here, he has to be polite.

Joshua looks a little out of it, as if he's thinking about many things at once and is also worried about something else but still smiles at Junhui. Now that he looks more attentive at Joshua, Junhui can notice dark prominent eyebags, his hair looks a little disheveled and his shirt, wrinkled. This is not the Joshua he knows, the always neat outfit Joshua that he has seen walking down the halls with Jeonghan by his side.

"Hi Jun, uhm, I'm sorry for bothering you but, by any chance do you know where I can find Jeonghan? He isn't answering the phone," Joshua says in a huff. It sounds urgent, but this is weird. Isn't Joshua supposed to be with him?

Junhui looks at his phone screen, 5:45 pm he reads, Thursday. Today Jeonghan doesn't have laboratory hours and he doesn't have field work either because he told Junhui a week ago that he switched them completely to the morning shift. His afternoon class finishes at 5pm and his evening class starts at 7pm so he can't be at the apartment.

"Did you look for him at the library?" Junhui asks Joshua.

Joshua sighs, whatever he needs from Jeonghan must be very important, Junhui thinks. Nobody else would go to these extremes to find someone unless it was absolutely necessary, he feels a little bit bad for Joshua.

"I looked for him at all his usual spots; I checked the library, empty classrooms, the lab, the benches behind our building, your cubicle and this coffee shop," Joshua says, exasperated. Junhui kind of wants to hug him but he feels like Joshua would either start crying or kick his ass so he just nods from where he is.

"I thought that maybe you would know where he is, since you spend most of the time together," Joshua explains. And while that’s true, Junhui has no idea where Jeonghan is right now. They don't have plans for tonight, when he texted Jeonghan earlier telling him that he wanted to hibernate 3 weeks on his bed and maybe decompose, Jeonghan reply was a sticker of a crying cat and a 'me too, I'm so sleepy'.

Wait, that's it! Jeonghan doesn't reply to Joshua's calls because he's asleep, and there's only one place on campus where Jeonghan would take a nap, besides Junhui's cubicle at the university's clinic.

Junhui finishes his neglected coffee in a gulp, grabs his things and gets up.

"Follow me, I know where he is," Junhui tells Joshua. That seems to make him perk up and Junhui would've sworn he saw a tear rolling down his cheek. That was weird, Junhui shakes his head and keeps walking; Jeonghan should be grateful he's too tired to fight because he really wants to slap his beautiful face for disrupting his peaceful coffee afternoon.

He walks to the computer science building with Joshua walking behind him silently, maybe too tired to bother with small talk. Whatever the reason is, Junhui is relieved because he doesn't want to talk either. They get to the 2nd floor where the laboratories are located, and Junhui opens the door of a well-known room.

"Hey, Wonwoo," Junhui says as he opens the door and sees his friend. He's using his round glasses, that means he has been almost all day in front of his computer, hopelessly trying not to burn his retinas even more. Wonwoo makes a sound of acknowledgement, to let Junhui know that he saw him and smiles, not tearing his eyes from the monitor.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Junhui speaks and claps his hands. "This is Joshua, Jeonghan's friend," he introduces him, Joshua waves to Wonwoo's direction.

Wonwoo nods this time, offering a small smile as he tears his eyes from the monitor for like 3 seconds and then goes back to whatever he's doing, Junhui stopped asking a long time ago.

Without wasting more time, Junhui finally asks, "Where is he?" He's tired, he wants to go home, but he needs to find Jeonghan for Joshua to stop having that constipated expression, it's getting on his nerves.

"In the back," Wonwoo says. It kind of takes Junhui out, suddenly hearing Wonwoo's deep voice echo through the room. It's also unnerving to think those are the first words he has said during all the time they've been there but Junhui doesn't have time to ponder about that so he starts walking to the back of the lab.

When he reaches the end of the room and sees him, Junhui lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He wants to shake him violently until he's awake so he can finally go to their apartment but he can't. Jeonghan is sleeping soundly, he looks slightly uncomfortable because the floor is well, hard. But he at least has a blanket and he's using his bag as a pillow. His peaceful face doesn't hide the eyebags that make up half his face, getting bigger and darker. He’s probably deeply asleep because he didn't even flinch after Junhui and Joshua arrived noisily.

Wonwoo is such a considerate friend, he even has a special blanket for Jeonghan’s power naps. They both started to crash Wonwoo's lab after he got it assigned to teach some of the afternoon lectures, being a TA surely has its perks.

As much as Junhui doesn't want to wake Jeonghan up, apparently Joshua doesn't share that sentiment at all because as soon as he sees Jeonghan, he crouches down so he's on the same level and starts shaking him up.

"Wake up! This is not the time to be sleeping!" Joshua says loudly as he shakes Jeonghan without avail.

"Jeonghan I swear that if you don't wake up in this instant, I'm going to burn your pink slippers!" he says in desperation.

"Joshua, shut the fuck up! I'm trying to sleep!" Jeonghan finally says without opening his eyes.

"You don't understand!" Joshua cries. "I got an email saying our presentation got rescheduled for tomorrow!"

"I know, " Jeonghan groans.

"You know? And you're still sleeping? Are you kidding me? Joshua says, perplexed. He pulls Jeonghan's arms for him to get up.

Sometimes, Junhui really admires Jeonghan for staying calm during stressful situations, nevertheless he's pretty sure Joshua will annihilate him if he doesn't get his ass off the floor right now.

"Joshua, I finished the goddamn project and presentation this morning. Can you please stop whining and let me take my fucking nap?" Jeonghan says as he grabs Joshua's hands and toss them away from him. He glares at him and then looks at Junhui with a murderous glance.

"Don't look at me like that, I didn't know what was going on," Junhui says and puts his hands inside his pockets.

Jeonghan gives him a tired smile, "See you at home, then," he says.

Junhui nods. He grabs Joshua by the shoulders and pushes him out of the lab, not without saying bye to Wonwoo on the way.

💘

This is a bad idea, he should've said no when Seokmin asked him to help him. Junhui didn't know he had to help Seokmin get his head out of his ass, literally who the fuck plans a double date without having a friend to bring. Apparently Junhui was the only one available that day, or that's what Seokmin told him. So there he is, getting ready for a date he really doesn't want to attend; Junhui doesn't have the mental energy to socialize with a stranger while Seokmin ogles hopelessly at his crush. Seokmin told him that he has been crushing on Jeong Jaehyun for a while now, but has been too scared to ask him out until he thought about the double date. Well, technically this isn't a date, it is more like a 'hang out with your friends while I try to impress my crush' kind of thing. They're going to a paintball field for fucks sake, there is nothing romantic about it. Junhui sighs, he wanted to catch up with his drama today. Ina, sensing something terribly wrong in the air, meows at Junhui, to which he replies by scratching her below the ears.

Junhui walks to the kitchen, if he's going to play paintball, he better stay hydrated. He's filling the Jeonghan's pink hydroflask when he hears keys clinking and then the door opening, some ruffling and Ina meowing; that means that Jeonghan is back.

"I'm home, darling," Jeonghan says. Junhui can tell his roommate is tired just by the tone of his voice.

"Welcome back," Junhui says as he leaves the kitchen to meet Jeonghan at the living room.

Jeonghan's mouth forms an O when he sees Junhui, then his expression changes to a surprised one. "Where are you going?"

Jeonghan looks like he was hit by a truck, his clothes look disheveled, hair sticking out in all directions, his glasses are crooked, the lab coat on his hand looks wrinkled and dirty, and he looks paler than usual.

"Are you okay?" Junhui asks, full of concern. He walks to Jeonghan's space, helps him with his bags and guides him to the couch. Jeonghan drops his dirty lab coat on the floor and sits down.

"I'm fine, just tired. Field hours got extended," is all Jeonghan replies. Junhui thinks this is more than just his schedule going overtime, but, if Junhui has learned something during the time he has been friends with Jeonghan is that he doesn't have to push him into talking, he'll do it when he's ready.

"You didn't answer my question, baby," Jeonghan pauses and looks at Junhui. "Are you going out?"

"Oh, yeah, I have a date," Junhui blurts out, it's weird even for him to come into those terms. He really wants to ditch Seokmin and stay with Jeonghan, he looks terrible.

"A date?" Jeonghan asks. Junhui can't read his expression. Is it the exhaustion?

"Yeah, something like that, I got tricked by Seokmin into going with him so he didn't embarrass himself in front of his crush," Junhui rambles. Why is it so hard to explain this to Jeonghan, it’s the usual Seokmin situation.

"Ah, I get it now, have fun baby," Jeonghan speaks after some seconds of silence. His voice sounds weak and if Junhui didn't know Jeonghan well, he'll say that it was a little bit cold.

"Are you sure? I can text Seokmin that I can't make it," Junhui asks. He doesn't want to leave Jeonghan alone.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm gonna sleep all afternoon either way," Jeonghan says as he gets up from the couch. Junhui watches him walk to the bathroom, what was that?

He reluctantly leaves the apartment after giving it a few thoughts, he hopes this date is worth it. If not, Seokmin better get together with his crush on this date or he is gonna regret even calling Junhui to ask for help.

Needless to say, the date went horribly, at least for Junhui. Jaehyun's friend is Johnny, the tall exchange student Seokmin told Junhui about a few days ago. This was a conspiracy against him. He has nothing against Johnny, they just didn't click at first. Yes, Johnny is very polite and sweet but it's just that… Well maybe it was Junhui's fault, after all. He didn't pay too much attention to the things Johnny told him because he was too busy worrying about Jeonghan being alone at home, did he eat before coming to the apartment? What if he didn't eat? And perhaps, Johnny's topics for conversation weren't of Junhui's interest but he can't be mean to him.

Seokmin fell from a fortress, screamed and Jaehyun quickly went to help him. He carried Seokmin bridal style and he ran to take him to a safe site where no one could hit them. Junhui didn't see them for a while, so he had to stick with Johnny and his stories about his hometown, Junhui didn't mean to be a horrible person but he couldn't care less about Chicago. Why is he stuck with Mr. American when he could be at home watching his drama on his laptop while Jeonghan and Ina sleep by his side. Paintball doesn't sound as exciting as it did before.

The apartment is dark when he comes back, all the lights are off and Ina doesn’t come to welcome him. Junhui is sure Jeonghan is asleep because the place is too quiet. He walks to the room, where he can see dim lights coming from under the door. He tries hard not to make too much noise as he opens the door, even though he knows Jeonghan is a deep sleeper. Junhui finds Jeonghan sleeping soundly on the bed, wearing his favorite silky pink pajamas, the lamp light hitting his face giving it a warm glow that makes his features look softer; Ina is fast asleep by his side, Junhui coos to the sight, it's just so adorable. He quickly snaps a picture before the scene is disrupted.

After a well-deserved shower, Junhui decides it's a good night to put on the matching pink silky pajamas Jeonghan got him. Fresh and clean, he walks to the kitchen to get some water, there, he realizes Jeonghan didn't have anything to eat, there's no dirty dishes or side dishes missing from the fridge; the only thing he finds is a bag of chips thrown in the trash can. Junhui is mad, how can Jeonghan be so careless about his own health. Junhui swears his roommate is going to get a peptic ulcer if he keeps skipping meals. He quickly puts together a simple meal, then barges to the room with the plate in hand, determined to feed Jeonghan by any means.

"Wake up princess! It's time to eat," Junhui says loudly, scaring Ina, who leaves the bed immediately.

Jeonghan groans, tosses around and after a few seconds, he opens his eyes. Without too much complaints, he uses his hands to support him as he sits on the bed. Junhui wants to coo at him because he looks adorable, with messy hair, puffy eyes, red nose and even a little bit of dry saliva in the corner of his mouth. He's pouting, probably mad at Junhui for waking him up but considering how little complaining he’s doing he must be pretty hungry.

"Stop skipping your meals, that's not healthy," Junhui says in a serious tone. Sometimes he feels like he's taking care of a kid instead of living with a man his age.

"I was too sleepy, I had to sacrifice something and it wasn't going to be the shower," Jeonghan tells him, voice still full of sleepiness. He sounds like he's drunk.

Junhui laughs, "What would you do without me?"

"Probably starve," Jeonghan replies, and takes the bowl of fried rice from Junhui's hands. Jeonghan murmurs a small thank you and starts munching his food.

"Oh, how was the date?" Jeonghan asks, without looking at Junhui, too busy staring at his now half empty bowl.

Junhui winces, he does not want to talk about that, but he knows he has to speak now or Jeonghan will never let him live.

"It was a disaster," he manages to say after analyzing what was the best word to describe this afternoon.

"What happened? Did Seokmin embarrass himself in front of Jaehyun? Was his friend ugly?" Jeonghan's full attention is now directed at Junhui, his bowl long forgotten at the nightstand, his expression a mix of intrigue and genuine concern.

So Junhui tells him everything that happened, about him not clicking with Johnny, about Seokmin falling down and then disappearing with Jaehyun to the point where Johnny offered to drive him home, to which he politely declined. They spend the rest of the night talking, at some point Jeonghan leaves the bed to retrieve some snacks and beer. Junhui is sure this is the best part of this day, just being at home, with comfy pajamas, Jeonghan by his side laughing while scrunching his nose and fingers covered with a layer of synthetic cheese flavored powder.

💘

Once a month Junhui and Jeonghan order sushi from a friend's restaurant and drink expensive wine while watching movies or doing anything Jeonghan comes up with. Tonight, they're both set on the living room's fluffy rug and Jeonghan is sitting in front of Junhui, trying to put a sheet mask on his face. Jeonghan leans in so close to Junhui he can hear the other's breathing and smell the strawberry body wash Jeonghan uses. Junhui closes his eyes, mainly because he's afraid Jeonghan will poke them while trying to place the sheet mask correctly but also because sometimes his heart races a little faster when Jeonghan gets too close. He can feel the coldness of the mask hitting his face, he also feels Jeonghan's fingertips mapping his face while spreading the mask evenly, it feels so relaxing. When Jeonghan reaches his neck to spread the remaining product, he gets goosebumps. Junhui gulps and tries to relax but Jeonghan's fingers are still pressed on his neck, what is he doing?

He opens his eyes slowly and all he sees is Jeonghan, still so close to him he can count his eyelashes and clearly see his moles, patches of red skin, eye bags and everything else that makes him him. Junhui is so busy admiring Jeonghan's perfectly sculpted face he doesn't realize his friend is looking at him until he gets back to Jeonghan's eyes and finds gentle brown eyes looking in his direction. Junhui slowly leans in without thinking too much about it and pecks Jeonghan's lips. It's always like that with them, kissing without making a big deal about it, it's just chaste kisses nothing too sexual or with a deeper meaning, or that's what Junhui thinks at least. Jeonghan giggles, they're still so painfully close, Jeonghan's hands now set on Junhui's shoulder blades with no intention to move. Junhui wonders if they're gonna keep this mood through the night, they only had two glasses of wine each.

"Do you want me to put the sheet mask on your face?" Junhui asks as he looks at Jeonghan's eyes.

"Of course, pretty," he takes his hands off Junhui's shoulders and leans back so that Junhui has enough space to open the sheet mask.

Junhui leans back in with the mask in hands, "Close your eyes," he tells Jeonghan.

Jeonghan closes his eyes and Junhui starts putting the mask on his face, taking his sweet time to trace every angle of Jeonghan's pretty face, it's insane how someone can be this beautiful. He spreads the remaining product on Jeonghan's neck and hears Jeonghan humming as he leans in closer to the touch.

Junhui laughs nervously, Jeonghan must be out of his mind. "I'm done," he says, not sure of what to do next but also refusing to step back. Jeonghan opens his eyes, he looks dazed as if he just received the best massage of his life.

"Oh, pretty," Jeonghan coos at Junhui. With that he leans backwards, leaving a confused Junhui behind.

"What are you doing?" Junhui asks, in disbelief. As he watches Jeonghan crawl to the coffee table.

"I'll order more sushi," he replies, fetching his phone from the table.

"Right."

Junhui observes his roommate typing at the speed of light, then scrolling, taping the screen as he bites his lips, probably deciding which rolls to order. His face lights up, "Yes, I made it before the closing time!" he says triumphantly. The way the staff must hate him, but well at least he's happy. He looks back at his phone, this time his expression falls, stops touching the screen, locks it and then he crawls back to Junhui's side.

"What's wrong, babe?"

Jeonghan groans, he drops dramatically to the floor, his head landing on Junhui's lap then sighs; he's making a scene, Junhui wants to laugh but he’s curious, so he settles for running his fingers through Jeonghan's hair and wait for him to talk.

"You know here's this seminary I need to attend next week," Jeonghan mutters, head turned to the side, not looking at Junhui.

"The one you've been planning outfits for?" Junhui asks, because Jeonghan has been buying clothes all week and planning the outfits he would wear.

"That one," Jeonghan confirms.

"So, this seminary has an afterparty on the last day," he starts saying, he's finally looking upwards, at Junhui's direction. "Would you go with me? I don't want to go there by myself, please go with me," Jeonghan begs. This is the first time he asks Junhui to attend an event of this magnitude.

"What about Joshua? Is he not attending?" Junhui asks, concerned.

"Yeah, he's going with Seungcheol. Can you believe that?" Jeonghan laughs, but Junhui can tell he's proud of his friends for finally getting their shit together.

"I take it then, that Joshua finally decided to let Seungcheol breathe," Junhui states. There is no other explanation other than Joshua finally taking pity of poor love fool Seungcheol.

Jeonghan nods, "So, are you going with me to the party?" he says with a cute voice.

"Fine, I'll go with you," Junhui says after a few seconds of fake contemplating, he was going to say yes either way, he can't say no to the Yoon Jeonghan anyways.

Jeonghan looks relieved, Junhui wonders why. Jeonghan is not the type of person who feels bad for not bringing a date.

💘

Even though Jeonghan assured Junhui this was an ordinary party with fancy drinks so he didn't have to worry too much about it, he was completely sure Jeonghan was saying that to ease him. If this was an ordinary party Jeonghan wouldn't be running around the apartment looking like he's wearing half his weight in jewelry, full face of makeup and a purple velvet suit.

Junhui cannot fool anyone, he is staring, and he's staring hard at his roommate. In his defence, Jeonghan looks gorgeous. His blonde hair is styled in soft waves, his eyeliner tonight is black and smoked out to give it a sultrier vibe, his skin glows, a peachy blush sits on his cheeks and his lips look juicy accentuated with lip gloss. He looks like a dream, Junhui didn't expect less from him, because when Jeonghan dresses up, he dresses up to impress.

Jeonghan is fixing his velvet suit in front of the mirror when he looks back at Junhui, who is already looking at him and gives him a shy smile. Jeonghan decided to work on Junhui's appearance before getting ready himself so that's why Jeonghan had to rush to get himself dolled up, he is an expert in that field because his makeup looks like it was done in 2 hours and Jeonghan had to manage in 10 minutes. The outfit Jeonghan picked for Junhui was perfect to match his, a purple silk blouse with high waisted trousers that according to him 'they make your ass look good junnie' so they went for it. Junhui was wearing makeup too, something similar to Jeonghan's look but with purple shimmer involved.

"Junnie, come here," Jeonghan calls him from where he stands in front of the full-size mirror in the room.

Junhui complies, he walks fast until he's by Jeonghan's side and looks forward to his reflection on the mirror. They look amazing, their outfits complement each other and along with the gold jewelry and wavy hair they look like models. Junhui knows for sure they're going to be the best dressed at that party, and he's being humble. He watches Jeonghan smirk, as if agreeing with Junhui's reasoning, knowing him, that was probably Jeonghan's intention since the start.

"We should go," Junhui finally mentions.

"Not before a mirror selfie," Jeonghan says and Junhui snorts.

Jeonghan, brushing him off, takes his phone out, hits Junhui's shoulder to get him to pose and snaps a picture.

This party is the opposite of what Jeonghan told him it would be, it’s more than just fancy champagne and expensive suits and dresses, the whole place screams luxury. What are college students doing here? Junhui is not sure. This is supposed to be the after-party of a science seminary, not a red carpet. But who is Junhui to complain, they're serving delicious food and golden champagne.

There’s a niggling feeling at the back of his head tho telling him there’s something odd in the way Jeonghan is acting. He's usually outgoing and loves to mingle around with a flute of champagne in hand making small talk with everyone who as much as smiles at him as he walks by. He's naturally a sociable person so he always has fun during most parties, not needing a partner because that would hold him back. Tonight’s different, Jeonghan has only talked comfortably to Joshua and Seungcheol, not only that but he has been glued to Junhui's side the whole night. He seems at ease when greeting some of his professors and other doctors who attended the seminary, he even gets flustered when some of them mention how intelligent Jeonghan is and offer him to visit their workplace when he has a chance.

The grip Jeonghan has on Junhui's arm only gets stronger when some senior students approach him to say hi, his eyes flinch and his voice wavers, it would be unnoticeable if the person beside him wasn't Junhui, but he knows Jeonghan too well to point out that something is off. Junhui is telling Jeonghan about the lobster they served when they're interrupted by someone's presence; as soon as Jeonghan hears this person's voice his body goes rigid. Weird, Junhui thinks, he decides to properly face this man so he turns around.

“Yoon Jeonghan, I’ve been looking for you,” the man says smiling at Jeonghan, but Junhui can tell is not genuine, it doesn’t reach his eyes and the tone he used is everything but friendly. “What did you think about my presentation? Brilliant, right?”

“Ah, Jungwoo I thought these parties weren’t your thing,” Jeonghan snickers. “Yeah, it was very, uh – interesting.”

“You’re right, but I figured it would be fun to spend some time with you, but you didn't tell me you were coming with someone else," Jungwoo says pointing Junhui with a finger.

“Where are my manners?” his expression changes to a smile, “My name is Kim Jungwoo,” he says as he extends a hand to Junhui.

“Wen Junhui,” Junhui extends his hand too. The handshake is awkward, his arm is stiff and Junhui can feel how displeased Jungwoo is.

“This is too bad Jeonghan, I wanted to introduce you to some professors who were interested in your research,” Jungwoo laments, but Junhui can tell it’s fake concern.

“Why can’t we meet them? I don’t see why being with Junhui is a concern,” Jeonghan reasons, his voice is rich in confidence by now. Junhui is glad.

“Never mind, gorgeous. Next time,” Jungwoo says, taking one of Jeonghan’s hands and kissing it goodbye, then he walks away, not sparing Junhui a glance.

“Who is that jerk?” Junhui finally says after he’s gone.

Jeonghan laughs, “That man is in charge of grading our final projects,” he sighs. “His father is our major’s coordinator.”

Disgusting.

“These couple of weeks have been difficult for Joshua and I because of him, he’s trying to get us to sleep with him,” Jeonghan confesses. “That’s why I was scared to come to this party without a date,” he mutters.

Junhui is livid, he wants to punch this man’s face so bad, how dare he take advantage of Jeonghan using his grade as blackmail to sleep with him, that’s so unprofessional; the worst thing is they can’t even report him to the authorities.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay, I’m sure that after tonight he won’t bother me anymore. He’s going to think that I’m dating you.” Jeonghan explains. Junhui’s not so sure, like, he and Jeonghan are close, but are they close enough for this man to believe Junhui is dating Jeonghan? He pushes this thought at the back of his head, as he always does, no time to analyze the confusing feelings he has for his best friend.

“You’re right, we shouldn't let that buffoon ruin our night, wanna dance?” Junhui says.

“I would love to, Mister Wen,” Jeonghan giggles. Junhui takes Jeonghan’s hand and guides him to the dance floor.

They manage to have fun the rest of the night. Joshua and Seungcheol join them on the dance floor at some point, Jeonghan is finally relaxing, acting like his usual self at parties. Junhui makes sure to stay close to him, to keep the nuisance far away, he gives Jeonghan kisses on his cheeks and his hand is permanently placed on Jeonghan’s waist.

Later, at their apartment, when they’re cuddled up under their fuzzy blanket with Ina sleeping soundly at the end of the bed, Jeonghan turns around in order to face Junhui. Junhui looks at him puzzled, waiting for him to say or do something; Jeonghan eyes are still directed at him, his expression looks soft, features accentuated by the lamp light and he looks breathtaking, he could spend hours staring at him, admiring every inch of his face, tracing his moles and every scar.

“Thank you, Junnie,” he finally says in a soft voice.

“For what?” Junhui blurts out, he’s not sure what he did that deserves a thank you.

“For what you did tonight,” Jeonghan explains, as if it’s obvious.

“Are you referring to the fake boyfriend thing? Jeonghan that’s nothing, we do that all the time,” Junhui tells him.

“This is different, we have to act like a couple in public now, in order for Jungwoo to believe us,” Jeonghan says, exasperated.

“Jeonghan, relax, I don’t know if you’re aware or not but, even our friends think we’re dating, I think you have nothing to worry about,” Junhui reasons. He smiles at Jeonghan, in hopes to ease him out.

“You’re right,” Jeonghan agrees, his mouth forming a pout. He looks cute.

“I know. Now, come here,” Junhui opens his arms. “We should sleep.” Jeonghan throws himself at Junhui, he hugs him tight, closes his eyes and hums, this is his favorite sleeping spot of them all.

💘

Just as Junhui expected, nothing really changes between him and Jeonghan; the only addition being that they touch a bit more in public, which is hardly a challenge since they’re used to doing that at home or when they hang out with their friends. Hand holding, occasional forehead or cheek kisses and walking around campus glued to each other, Junhui is actually enjoying this, they don’t hold themselves back anymore to avoid making other people uncomfortable with their antics. Jeonghan greets him with a smile and a gross kiss on his cheek, which leaves sticky lip gloss marks he always complains about but secretly loves.

Junhui is at his usual spot at his favorite coffee shop, working at the speed of light in an essay that is due in two hours, when he is rudely interrupted by someone who takes a seat in front of him. He reluctantly tears his eyes from his computer to look at the intruder, and what he sees makes him even more irritated, Jungwoo, looking at him with a shit eating grin. Junhui groans, he still has five pages to write, he has no time to deal with him right now.

“Wen Junhui, hello. Fancy seeing you here.”

Junhui looks at him with a bored expression, then goes back to his essay. “Likewise,” he mutters.

“I can figure you’re busy, but the thing is, I found out something important today and I wanted to confirm it with you,” Jungwoo says, words filled with malice.

“Yeah? Go ahead, enlighten me,” Junhui says.

“A birdie told me, Jeonghan and you are just friends,” Jungwoo says as he moves his upper body closer to Junhui. “Nothing exclusive,” he whispers.

“And who told you that? That’s nonsense,” Junhui says nonchalantly.

“Is it really nonsense?” Jungwoo wonders. “The whole campus knows that you’re just friends, you’re fooling nobody sweetheart.”

“I don’t see why we should disclose our relationship with everyone, it doesn’t concern them,” Junhui explains with a firm voice. He’s not going to let this clown blow their cover.

“You should stay out of it Junhuissi, you’re only making things more difficult for Jeonghan,” Jungwoo deadpans, his face looks contorted.

“Out of what exactly? Listen, Jeonghan is my boyfriend and if you don’t believe it then that’s your problem, not mine;” Junhui says irritated. He’s definitely going to miss the deadline of this essay.

“Yeah? Then it will be no problem for you both to join me and a friend for lunch on Thursday.” Jungwoo is not even asking. Junhui knows this is a trick, but he cannot say no, at this point he’ll be ruining everything if he denies it. He has no idea why Jungwoo wants to have lunch with them, what is he even plotting?

“Sure, no problem. Text Jeonghan the details,” Junhui replies. He can finally go back to his essay, maybe if he types extra fast, he can turn it in on time. He doesn’t even notice when Jungwoo leaves the table, but he can feel the air around him getting lighter.

He goes back home after submitting his essay, Junhui almost didn’t make it, he turned it in a minute before the deadline, is this what they call living life to the extreme? He is tired from this day, he had clinic hours in the morning, classes and then the cursed meeting with Jungwoo in the afternoon, he wants to take a relaxing bath and maybe have a nice dinner afterwards. Junhui steps inside the apartment and when he is taking off his shoes, he is too busy thinking about which bath bomb to use that he didn’t see Jeonghan standing in front of him, with Ina on his arms, so when he looks up he’s surprised with the best sight in the world.

“Hello, my loves,” Junhui smiles, he can feel the fatigue slowly disappear.

“Welcome back Junnie,” Jeonghan says, followed by Ina meowing at him. “Ina is happy to see you too.”

“It was a long day,” Junhui breathes, walking to Jeonghan’s direction. When he gets in front of him, he gets his daily dose of Jeonghan hug; his dosis increases each day, since every time he needs them more and more, he’s afraid he’s going to get addicted.

“You’re so lucky I ordered takeout,” Jeonghan speaks, his voice muffled because his face is still pressed on Junhui’s chest.

“My hero,” Junhui proclaims, to which Jeonghan starts laughing.

“Go take a bath, I’ll let you know when the food is here,” Jeonghan slaps his butt lightly.

Junhui hums. He walks directly to the bathroom, bag completely forgotten in the living room.

His bath bomb smells like jasmines, the aroma filling every corner of the room. He can feel all of his muscles slowly start relaxing, leaving his body pliant, limbs feeling like jelly. It feels good, this is definitely what he needed, now it would be better if Jeonghan joined him in the bathtub. It wouldn’t be the first time, they have definitely shared a bathtub a couple of times before and needless to say, it makes Junhui very content. His mind starts to clear out as well, he didn’t think too much about what he agreed to go out with Jungwoo this afternoon, his attention was on the essay so he said yes in a rush, just to make him leave. Jungwoo is trying to prove that Jeonghan and him are not really dating, that’s why he wants to be in a place with only the two of them, to see how they behave. But this is not something that worries Junhui, if their own friends think that they’re dating just by observing them for a while, Jungwooo would be easier to deceive.

Now, if he really was Jeonghan’s boyfriend and not only his friend, everything would be considerably simpler. It’s not that their relationship will have an abysmal shift, they already act like most couples do, even if they’re not romantically involved. Their relationship has always been like this; doing what your heart tells you to do, don’t letting stupid boundaries getting in the way and the truth is that their friendship has always been very healthy despite everything people might think of when they see Jeonghan and Junhui together, they communicate with each other if something bothers them, and dating has never been a problem for them in the past, it just never made them change or stop staying true to themselves. It probably worked out because none of them has been in a serious relationship before, with their partners often having problems understanding them and the way they treat each other. Jealousy always brings out the worst out of people, and well, neither him or Jeonghan would agree to change their friendship to please someone else, it’s not worth it.

Yes, Jeonghan is his best friend, he listens to him and he’s there for him when Jeonghan needs him, and yes, he would definitely choose Jeonghan as the person he would hide a body with or commit arson with. Sure, they are pretty close already, they cuddle to sleep, they share a bed, they even kiss from time to time if they feel like it or if the timing seems appropriate. But those things are no longer enough for Junhui, he always ends up wanting more from Jeonghan, more than just a peck, he wants to kiss Jeonghan properly, he wants to shower him with kisses, to tell him how much he adores him, praise how he looks, to trace his moles with his hands and not only with his eyes.

According to their antics, doing this wouldn’t be a problem, Junhui would only be following his heart, but he’s scared. What if Jeonghan thinks this is too much, Junhui is not sure if Jeonghan would be okay with that, is it worth it to take the risk? He doesn’t want Jeonghan to think he’s taking advantage of the nature of their relationship to fulfill his own desires. He’s sure Jeonghan wouldn’t push him away, the problem is inside Junhui’s head, he knows they’re friends, he knows Jeonghan loves him but does he love Junhui the way Junhui loves him? He is not completely sure. Those are the thoughts he’s always pushing at the back of his head, Junhui doesn’t need to make all this situation complicated, he just doesn’t know how to approach it, how to tell Jeonghan about his feelings. It has to be soon, he has trouble controlling himself sometimes from kissing Jeonghan senseless or the urge to pin him against the nearest wall, not only that, but also an ache in his chest when he wakes up in the morning and the first thing he sees is Jeonghan’s face or when he watches Jeonghan cooing at Ina and holding her tight.

“Did you become one with the water? The food is here,” Jeonghan says, his head peeping from the opened door.

“How much time has passed?” Junhui asks, intrigued, he has no idea how much he has been in the bathtub. Jeonghan enters the room and leans on the sink counter, a smile hinting at his mouth.

“Not too much, honestly I just missed you, I should’ve joined you,” Jeonghan says regretfully. He crouches down to Junhui’s level and checks the water temperature with his hand.

“It’s still warm and you used the jasmine bath bomb, I can’t believe you,” Jeonghan accuses him.

“I saved you the lavender one, stop complaining, Hannie,” Junhui retorts, he can’t believe Jeonghan is calling him out for using it, he knows the jasmine bath bomb is Junhui’s favorite not his.

“Hurry up, you’re going to turn into a raisin,” Jeonghan jokes. Junhui looks at his fingertips, well, maybe Jeonghan is not wrong.

“I get it, now go set the table, I’ll be there in a few,” Junhui replies, standing up and looking for his towel as Jeonghan leaves the room.

When Junhui emerges from his room, Jeonghan is sitting down at the table, busy with his phone in hand. Junhui sits down in front of him trying not to make noise, Jeonghan looks up at him with a smile.

“Finally, care to explain why Jungwoo just sent me a restaurant address and a ‘I can’t wait to see you and Junhui on Thursday’?” Jeonghan speaks with a calm voice, but shoving his phone to Junhui’s face.

“Oh, that,” Junhui scratches his head. “He intercepted me at the coffee shop earlier, implying that he knew were not dating for real, so he invited us for lunch so he can prove his point,” Junhui explains nonchalantly. Just thinking about this again, makes him ageing a hundred years. Jeonghan is looking at him with furrowed brows, then he sighs, clearly tired of this issue already.

“Great, fantastic, just marvellous, we’re having lunch with that dick,” Jeonghan huffs out. “He’s not gonna let us breathe,” he laments. Junhui can already see how annoyance slowly invades Jeonghan’s soft features.

“Don’t let him ruin your meal, Hannie,” Junhui says. The food is getting cold and he is not letting that fool ruin his beautiful night, he had a bath and now he’s having dinner with Jeonghan and maybe later they can watch a movie.

“You’re right. Also, there’s nothing to worry about, right Junnie?” Jeonghan says his name sweetly; his face is now serene, not a single trace of the emotions that appeared seconds ago.

“Exactly, now, let’s eat,” Junhui points to the food. Jeonghan hums in agreement.

💘

Jeonghan and Junhui finally have a free Saturday together, no laboratory hours for Jeonghan and no lectures for Junhui, so that means they are going out and enjoy the beautiful weather. The sun is up very high in the blue sky, clouds are fluffy white and the breeze feels refreshing.

They have a whole itinerary planned out, when Jeonghan found out that Junhui was also going to be free this Saturday he squealed in joy, it’s been a while since they last went out, college can be a bitch sometimes. So, Jeonghan created a six-item list for today, his first making pancakes for breakfast together, which results in a chaotic situation where both of them and the kitchen counter end up covered in flour. They burst out in laughter; it doesn’t matter as long as the pancakes are tasty afterwards. Mornings like this are enjoyable, they move in sync at the kitchen, doing different chores but complimenting each other. Jeonghan is in charge of the mix but he asks Junhui to try the consistency out every time; Junhui is in charge of the stove, he makes the roundest pancakes and has Jeonghan breathing on his neck trying to figure out how is it possible to make such perfect pancakes. After having breakfast and getting ready to go out, Jeonghan complains that they are already behind schedule. Of course, Junhui thinks, if they didn’t make the kitchen a war zone maybe they wouldn’t be late.

Second activity is cycling at the park. The bike trail is beautiful, you can enjoy the greenery, the river view and the sun, which Junhui is glad because he definitely needed a dose of vitamin D. They rent a 2-person bike because they’re here for the fun not to speed race, but if Junhui is being honest, perhaps that would be thrilling as well. The weather is so nice, Junhui can feel his own cheeks and arms heat up because of the sun, Jeonghan is riding at the front so he can’t really see his face but he’s sure that Jeonghan is smiling. He leans forward until his face is touching Jeonghan’s back and smiles.

“Junnie, stop doing that and keep pedaling,” Jeonghan whines, but there’s no malice in his words, Junhui laughs hard, then tears his head from Jeonghan’s back and resumes his pedaling work.

“Much better,” Jeonghan confirms. Junhui has to agree with him, pedaling alone must be a pain in the ass, doesn’t matter if he has strong legs or not, an upside hill will always destroy you.

When they finish the trail, Jeonghan walks to a bench and Junhui heads to the nearest ice cream parlor to get strawberry ice cream, because there’s nothing more delicious than ice cream after a bike ride. Jeonghan’s eyes light up when Junhui approaches him, immediately taking his ice cream from Junhui’s hand.

“Thank you, Junnie,” Jeonghan sings. He takes a scoop of his ice cream and hums.

“Is it good?” Junhui asks. To which Jeonghan nods enthusiastically.

With content stomachs and a good spot sponsored by a big tree, they lie down on the grass, Jeonghan using Junhui’s thigh as a pillow.

“I love to spend Saturdays outside,” Jeonghan mutters. Junhui moves his neck so he can see Jeonghan properly, his friend has his eyes closed, looking serene.

“I agree, favorite days,” Junhui replies.

“We should’ve brought Ina,” Junhui continues saying. Jeonghan only hums and mutters a ‘next time Junnie’ and he’s right, Saturdays out are not a new thing they do, they have been doing this for almost a year whenever they get matching free Saturdays.

This is the perfect day to tell Jeonghan his feelings, Junhui thinks. They’re gonna spend the entire day together so he’ll keep it to the night, at their last stop. He’ll make sure this doesn’t ruin the day, in case things end up turning awkward. He prays for it not to go wrong, Junhui doesn’t expect Jeonghan to straight up accept them and start making out right there. He knows Jeonghan will need time and space to assimilate it and Junhui will be more than glad to give it to him, this is a serious topic after all.

Immersed in his thoughts he turns his head to the side, where he is welcomed by Jeonghan’s face very close to him. When did he even move to this side? Jeonghan is looking at him so intensely, as if trying to decipher what Junhui is thinking; if Junhui is being honest, he might as well find it out, Jeonghan is very smart and knows how Junhui feels most of the time.

“What are you doing?” Junhui asks, putting his arm under his head as a support.

“Trying to read your mind, since you think it’s time to be spacing out,” Jeonghan complains.

“I did? I’m sorry Hannie,” Junhui says sincerely. Jeonghan was probably telling him something, and when Junhui didn’t reply, he moved to his side.

Jeonghan pouts, “I said that my project is almost done, I only have to present it to Jungwoo next Friday,” he finishes with a bored tone.

“So that’s why lunch with him is on Thursday,” Junhui muses. Sly, he thinks. Junhui is worried this boyfriend issue might impact Jeonghan’s grade in a negative way.

“Is Jungwoo in charge of grading all of the projects?” Junhui asks.

“His part was to accept or reject the projects, mine was accepted already. He only has a 10% of influence in grading, a board of doctors will discuss the projects and grade them collectively,” he looks at Junhui. “So, don’t worry about it, I just want Jungwoo out of the picture already.” Junhui is relieved, he is glad that an immoral man like Jungwoo has nothing to pin against Jeonghan anymore.

“So, you’re telling me this man is being annoying on purpose? Because he can’t stand that you refused going out with him?” Junhui asks incredulously.

“Yup,” Jeonghan replies, emphasizing the p. He starts laughing, “he is being ridiculous, I can’t believe his audacity.”

Junhui takes a look at his watch, it’s already lunch time. They have been at the park for a while already. “Time to go, Hannie, I’m getting hungry.” Junhui gets up from the grass, then helps Jeonghan to get up by holding his hand and pulling him up.

“Let’s go!” Jeonghan says excitedly.

Their destination is an Italian restaurant, Junhui is not even surprised, of course Jeonghan wouldn’t let the opportunity of eating comfortably with a beautiful view of the city pass. Jeonghan made a reservation beforehand, this restaurant is a hot spot during the weekends so it would have been impossible to get a table here otherwise. A polite waiter welcomes them and takes them to their table, Jeonghan orders for both of them, telling Junhui he knows the menu by heart so he knows which dishes are the best, Junhui just lets him do whatever he wants.

When the waiter comes back with their orders, Jeonghan makes sure he’s watching Junhui closely when he takes the first bite, to know if he actually liked the food Jeonghan picked for him or not. Junhui tentatively takes the first bite, the flavor is very rich, it tastes really good, the pasta Jeonghan ordered for him is delicious, not that Junhui doubted him. Jeonghan sits back, satisfied with Junhui’s high quality mukbang skills and finally reaches out to his own food. It only lasts a few minutes, then he’s reaching out to Junhui’s plate and stealing some bites of his food, saying that he wants to taste it as well. Junhui is usually very adamant about sharing his food, he is not a fan of people eating from the same plate as him and touching his food; that, of course, doesn’t include Jeonghan, he always gets away with it, Junhui is too much of a softie, sometimes it feels like Jeonghan is a kid and he spoils him too much.

“Having fun? Stop eating my food,” Junhui says. He moves the plate closer to him so it is more difficult for Jeonghan to reach it out.

Jeonghan lets out a whine. “Don’t be mean, Junnie,” he says as he stands to move his chair closer to Junhui, which results in the chair making a loud noise as Jeonghan drags it. Junhui sighs, Jeonghan never gives up.

“If you eat my food, then what am I supposed to eat?” Junhui tries to make him understand, he doesn’t mind Jeonghan eating from his plate but why is he eating more from it than from his own plate?

“You don’t need to worry,” Jeonghan says enthusiastically as he takes a fork with pasta from his plate and extends his hand to feed it to Junhui. “Try it,” he demands with a smile. Junhui reluctantly opens his mouth, Jeonghan shoves the food ungracefully into Junhui’s mouth and smiles while doing it. That’s Yoon Jeonghan being attentive, and Junhui wouldn’t have him any other way, so Junhui lets him feed him, even if the fear of choking is a constant on the back of his mind. They finish lunch like this, Jeonghan munching from Junhui’s plate with him feeding Junhui pasta from his plate and smiling at each other while doing it. A perfect lunch date if you ask Junhui.

Next step on their list is shopping, their first purchase being things for their overly spoiled meowing demon, Ina. They get her new toys, clothes and treats; that cat truly lives better than both of them. Junhui thinks it’s nice to visit the pet store with Jeonghan, his eyes sparkle and he jumps to Junhui’s side every time he finds something Ina would like saying things like ‘Junnie, look at this!’. ‘don’t you think she would love this toy?’ or ‘our baby would look so pretty with that dress’ at this point, Junhui knows he is endeared by everything Jeonghan does.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a huff. After buying gifts for their child, they play around in a huge department store. Jeonghan and Junhui are professional shoppers after all, so why not visit a new place at every opportunity they get. Going there together means that the shop-assistants are going to hate them at the end of the day, trying on too many clothes, and spending too much time musing over which pieces of clothing they’re gonna end up buying, they’re college students after all, the budget is limited. Junhui is in the middle of a debate with Jeonghan about how the latter definitely does not need another silk blouse, considering he has like 10 at home, when they hear a faint gasp. Jeonghan follows the direction of the sound only to find a group of teenage girls looking at them with wide eyes from a 5-meter distance; Junhui chuckles, it is no strange thing for them anymore, they often get mistaken as kpop idols when they’re out together. An apologetic shop-assistant makes the girls leave the store, Jeonghan telling them they’re in fact, not a kpop idol and just ‘handsome college guys’ he is truly insufferable.

It’s already dark outside when they leave the department store with hands full of bags, debating whether to go back to the apartment or having dinner outside. Jeonghan, always a step ahead of Junhui, argues that their list will not be completed if they don’t have dinner together, so they end up in a homey restaurant ordering some noodles. A cozy and peaceful place to eat is what Junhui needs after spending too many hours surrounded by people, shopping is fun but he is exhausted and he knows Jeonghan is too. They eat in silence, enjoying their noodles while they’re still warm; a very much needed moment of silence, when they finish, they leave the restaurant without a hassle. The night is lovely, clear skies and chilly air, moon high in the sky guarding every step they take.

“Should we go for a walk?” Junhui proposes. Jeonghan shoots him a smile.

“The night is beautiful, let’s go!” Jeonghan takes Junhui’s hand and starts walking to the park nearby.

Both of them usually go for night walks when college gets too stressful, time to unwind, to clear up their mind, to breathe fresh air after being confined between four walls for long hours. They don’t usually speak during those walks, enjoying each other’s presence and the night is enough. This time is different, Junhui actually has a lot of things he wants to say but no idea how to approach the topic, how to tell Jeonghan how he feels without fucking it up and making their relationship awkward. It’s the first time walking feels painful and the time runs excruciatingly slow, Junhui looks at the moon, silently imploring the big celestial for courage; people say the moon listens to what your heart desires the most, Junhui prays for the moon to listen to his heart, for her to grant his wish.

Jeonghan’s hand is warm, Junhui notices; he is also looking at the sky, moonlight reflecting on his brown eyes and face, making him look ethereal, Junhui feels his knees giving out so he walks to the nearest bench, a confused Jeonghan in tow. He sits down and breathes. This is embarrassing, Junhui thinks, he can’t be close to Jeonghan for too long without his heart going erratic and his legs turning into jelly, he needs to get that fixed. He takes a glance at Jeonghan’s direction and finds out he’s looking at Junhui with a softened look, these are the times when Junhui wishes he could read minds because he has no idea what this expression means. Jeonghan moves closer to Junhui’s side until there’s almost no space between them, then he takes Junhui’s hands into his and doesn’t say a thing, as if he knows that Junhui wants to tell him something. Actually, Junhui isn't even surprised, Jeonghan only needs to watch Junhui’s body language to find out what is going on inside his head. Jeonghan is giving him time to prepare, to organize his thoughts, to find out what the fuck is he going to say; after looking at Jeonghan’s reassuring actions, Junhui is no longer scared, he knows deep inside Jeonghan is not going to break his heart, he could never.

“I need to tell you something,” Junhui mutters. He looks down, focusing on their interlaced hands instead of looking at Jeonghan’s eyes.

“You didn’t clean Ina’s litter box this morning!” Jeonghan gasps.

“What? Of course I did, even if it was your turn,” Junhui says in an accusing tone. “But it’s not that.”

“Oops! My fault,” Jeonghan says in between chuckles. Junhui knows Jeonghan is doing this for him to relax, there is no need to get tense, it’s only Jeonghan after all, weird feelings aside Jeonghan is still his best friend.

“Remember when you told me we should do whatever our heart tells us,” Junhui starts, he takes a deep breath that he’s sure comes out shaky. Jeonghan nods fast, not wanting to interrupt Junhui’s train of thoughts.

“I used to find that an easy thing to do but lately it feels like a hard task to me,” Junhui finally looks up to Jeonghan’s face.

“Why?”, Jeonghan croaks. Junhui can see Jeonghan’s expression mimics pain.

“My heart keeps wanting more and more each time, I honestly don’t know where the limit should be,” Junhui replies.

There’s silence after Junhui says the last words, he knows their friendship arrangement blurs all of the lines and boundaries but he still wants to know where Jeonghan stands on this, Junhui needs to know if he can push forward, if he can hope for becoming more than just his friend, he wants to date Jeonghan, Junhui wants to kiss him senseless and also help him with his laundry and homework, he wants to be there with him when he graduates from college, when he lands his first job, he wants to wake up by Jeonghan’s side every morning, Junhui wants it all.

“There are no limits with you,” Jeonghan states in a firm voice. There is no sign of hesitation in his eyes, he’s looking at Junhui without faltering as he leans closer.

The distance between his and Jeonghan’s face is almost nonexistent, Junhui craves for Jeonghan’s lips. His heart aches but he cannot kiss him without explaining himself completely first. He takes in what’s in front of him, Jeonghan looking even more beautiful up close, his eyes that cannot hide any secrets, he has the most expressive eyes Junhui has ever witnessed, eyes that tell a million stories.

“So, you don’t mind if I take you out on a date?” Junhui breathes.

“Finally,” Jeonghan sighs, relieved. “Take me to all the dates you want.”

Junhui’s mind goes blank. Is he hearing this properly? Or is it just an illusion of what he really wants to hear? His mind is playing tricks with him or is he just dreaming again? Junhui closes his eyes and pinches his arm, it stings when he does it, that means he’s awake and not daydreaming. Jeonghan wants to go on dates with Junhui, that means he likes him, right? Not a one-time thing, Jeonghan wants to keep going on dates with him, because he likes to spend time with Junhui. Not going out only because they’re friends since Jeonghan likes Junhui more than a friend, right? Jeonghan is definitely not talking about platonic dates anymore, right? he just wants to make sure this is really happening and is not a figment of his imagination, that would be embarrassing.

“Yeah? Even if I call you boyfriend in front of everyone?” Junhui teases. He is smiling at this point, can’t contain the giddiness.

“Call me boyfriend like you mean it,” Jeonghan offers, a mischievous smile decorating his face.

“And what about ─ ” Junhui says impatiently.

Junhui doesn’t get to finish because suddenly Jeonghan’s lips are on his. If Jeonghan wanted to shut him up then it is definitely working because Junhui cannot think of anything else besides the fact that he is kissing Jeonghan, sweet Jeonghan with his sweet lips and even sweeter kisses. Junhui melts into the kiss, this is different and way better than the pecks he used to receive from Jeonghan. Something definitely shifted, there are no restraints anymore, Junhui can pour his heart into the kiss without being afraid of accidentally making Jeonghan uncomfortable. Junhui wants to let Jeonghan know how much he wants this, he cups Jeonghan’s cheek and caresses it, Jeonghan sighs into the kiss, content, reassuring Junhui that he wants this as much as him. Junhui doesn’t know how much time passed, the rest of the world feels like a blur to him, his mind only chants Jeonghan, Jeonghan, Jeonghan. He can only focus on Jeonghan – his soft lips, the little sounds he lets out as he kisses Junhui, his breath and his hands that roam from Junhui’s back to his neck.

When Junhui’s lungs finally decide to give up, he reluctantly moves away from Jeonghan to catch a breath; Jeonghan is looking at him with dazed eyes, he’s truly the prettiest person Junhui has ever seen. Junhui has never been so sure about something before but he knows that Jeonghan’s feelings are equally strong as his. He smiles at Jeonghan, taking his hand in his and standing up.

“Let’s go, boyfriend,” Junhui says out loud, he earns a chuckle from Jeonghan but he stands up nevertheless.

If there’s something their cat doesn’t care about, besides everything else, is their newly discovered romantic relationship. Ina starts meowing the moment Jeonghan opens the door of their apartment, demanding her parents to feed her in this instant, not giving them the opportunity to continue whatever was going on at the park. Junhui sighs, takes the bags from Jeonghan’s hands so he can feed their little princess and walks to the room. He’s folding the new shirts on the floor when Jeonghan’s hands circle around his neck from behind.

“Hello there,” Jeonghan says close to Junhui’s ear, then giggles. Junhui groans, this man is insufferable, what did he even get himself into.

“Stop that,” Junhui groans, but doesn’t push Jeonghan away.

“I don’t think so,” Jeonghan retorts. “Why don’t you tell me how you fell for me? Hmm.” He smiles at Junhui, but Junhui knows better, he’s demanding answers and Junhui is more than happy to give them to him.

“Do you want me to profess my love for you while I fold clothes?” Junhui turns around and he is faced by a smiley Jeonghan who takes his hand.

“Let’s go to the living room, then,” Jeonghan chirps, “or, we can go to the bedroom,” he proposes while wiggling his eyebrows.

“I can’t stand you,” Junhui tells him, shoves him to the side.

“You love me,” Jeonghan says giggling.

“Yeah, I do,” Junhui says. “Now let’s go to the living room, don’t be nasty.”

Once comfortable on the couch, with Jeonghan’s body draped around him and Ina sleeping soundly by his legs, Junhui explains Jeonghan in full detail how he actually cannot pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with him, maybe he has been in love with Jeonghan all along and he never realized it until years later. The little moments they share together – lazy mornings, hectic mornings where they run around the house trying to find the keys, busy days in which they only saw each other to make sure the other one was still alive, snuggly days in watching movies or shows, refreshing afternoons outside, spontaneous trips together, late night trips to the closest McDonalds, nights out; all of those moments are the ones Junhui cherises the most, that part of his life he shares with Jeonghan. He learns from Jeonghan that while Junhui was clueless the whole time, Jeonghan was always attracted to him, but he was giving Junhui time to process his own feelings first. It makes sense, Jeonghan has always been smarter than him, he put the pieces together and found out Junhui had feelings for him but didn’t act until he knew Junhui was ready.

“I just didn’t think it was going to take you years to realize you had romantic feelings for me,” Jeonghan muses, he didn’t move his head from Junhui’s chest so he can feel the vibrations of his voice resonating.

“Right, I’m sorry about that, I’ll make it up to you.”

“You’re gonna regret saying that,” Jeonghan says calmly. Junhui cannot see him but he’s pretty sure his gremlin of a boyfriend is smiling.

“Why?” Junhui starts tickling Jeonghan’s sides. Jeonghan screeches and wobbles his way out of Junhui’s embrace.

“STOP!” Jeonghan yells, out of breath as he squirms.

Junhui should feel bad for Jeonghan, looking at his current state, flushed face, hair in all directions, tears on his eyes and fast breathing but it serves Jeonghan right for all those times in the past where he tickled Junhui to death.

Thursday comes faster than expected to bite their asses. Even if Junhui wants to stay in bed all day, Jeonghan’s alarm goes off at 5am. He groans and looks to the side, Jeonghan still sleeping soundly despite the ruckus his loud alarm is creating, he laughs, this man is unbelievable, Jeonghan can sleep through everything, no doubt. Junhui moves closer to Jeonghan then hovers on top of his sleeping figure.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Junhui speaks loudly.

After getting no response, he says, “If you don’t wake up, I’ll tickle you.”

With that, Jeonghan instantly opens his eyes then groans. “No tickles, too early,” he mumbles.

“Good morning,” Junhui greets his sleepy boyfriend. “You should get ready, your practice starts at 6.”

Jeonghan’s sleepy face morphs into disgust as he listened to Junhui, clearly not pleased with the thought of practice.

“Fine,” he says reluctantly. “But kiss me first.” Junhui hums and obliges, kissing Jeonghan is easily his favorite thing to do. Jeonghan scrunches his nose and giggles, Junhui’s heart soars, how can someone be this cute.

💘

Junhui is finishing a report when Jeonghan comes to find him so they can head out to the restaurant. By this hour, Junhui is actually looking forward to this disastrous lunch. He cannot wait for Jungwoo to finally leave both of them alone, he can’t believe how far this man can go for not accepting that Jeonghan would rather swallow a bag of staples instead of going out with him.

The restaurant Jungwoo picked is a very nice Italian restaurant with big wall-length mirrors, fairy yellow lights hanging from the ceiling, polished wooden floors and plants. This man most likely made his own research about Jeonghan, Junhui thinks. Jungwoo is already waiting for them at the table by the time they arrive, a bitter expression adorning his features, Junhui concludes that this is going to be an eventful lunch time. He looks at Jeonghan, his face masquerades a mischievous grin; this Jungwoo guy is in for a treat this fine afternoon.

“Hello guys,” Jungwoo stands up to greet them. Junhui takes his hand and shakes it, giving him a courteous nod. Jeonghan only nods with a neutral expression on his face. Jungwoo takes the hint and sits back down.

Junhui goes ahead and pulls the chair near him, Jeonghan smiles at him and sits. Junhui takes the seat beside him. Junhui can feel Jungwoo’s eyes throwing daggers at them, he brushes it off and just sits, hands Jeonghan a menu and grabs one for himself.

“So, is the food here good?” Junhui says, eyeing his menu.

Jungwoo clears his throat, “Of course it is, this is one of the best Italian restaurants in the city,” he defends his choice.

“What do you think, baby?” Junhui scoots closer to Jeonghan, looking at his boyfriend’s menu.

“I can’t pick, order for me please,” Jeonghan looks at him with a pout. Junhui nods, this happens often when Jeonghan finds everything on the menu delicious.

Junhui calls for the waiter, a girl with long dark hair and pretty makeup takes their order, Junhui orders a different plate for him and for Jeonghan, so he can try his food as well; once she is done with Junhui she turns around and takes Jungwoo’s order. When she’s done, she bows politely and leaves their table.

Thick silence envelopes their surroundings, none of them dared to say a thing; Jeonghan leans his head on Junhui’s shoulder, he takes his phone out and opens a game. That leaves Junhui and Jungwoo staring at each other for what felt like hours to Junhui, until Jeonghan excuses himself and goes to the bathroom, leaving Junhui and Jungwoo alone.

“Drop the act,” Jungwoo says nonchalantly.

“What are you talking about?” Junhui replies, rolling his eyes.

“You’re trying too hard to convince me you’re dating when I know you aren’t,” Jungwoo says with a mocking tone.

“Are you sure about that?” Junhui says, not breaking eye contact with Jungwoo.

“Of course I am, both of you are just friends and you have a crush on Jeonghan, poor thing,” Jungwoo says. He takes a glass of water and drinks it. Junhui sighs, wishes this man choked on his water so he could stop talking.

“You’re wrong, I’m the one who had a crush on Junhui but he was the one who asked me out,” Jeonghan says. Junhui didn’t even notice him coming back.

“You had a crush on him?” Jungwoo looks scandalized.

“Yeah, got a problem with that? Junhui is the best man someone could ask for,” Jeonghan replies with slight annoyance. Junhui stays silent, as expected Jeonghan is the best at confrontations.

“So, if you were dating Junhui, why do you flirt with everyone? Why did you flirt with me?”

“Okay, let me get this straight, I didn’t flirt with you, did you hit your head?” Jeonghan says with disgust.

“You shouldn’t assume things from other people, that’s just how we are, if people think we’re flirting then that is their problem, not ours,” Junhui finally speaks. So Jungwoo thought Jeonghan was flirting with him, it’s funny, because this is not the first time it happens but it is the first time it gets this far.

“Why would I flirt with you? To secure a good grade for my project? What do you take me for?” Jeonghan says with gritted teeth, clearly not enjoying this conversation.

Jungwoo doesn’t get to reply because the waiter is back with their food, Jeonghan’s face lights up at the sight, his annoyed expression completely vanishes; Junhui chuckles, Jeonghan has to be the cutest person he knows, out of impulse he kisses Jeonghan’s cheek, earning a surprised yelp from him. Junhui doesn’t know if it's out of embarrassment or annoyance but when he glances up, Jungwoo is storming out from the table without saying a word; that left the poor waiter dumbfounded, with Jungwoo’s plate on her tray. Jeonghan shoots her an apologetic smile, he takes the plate from the tray, “we’ll take this, don’t worry.” She nods and excuses herself, Junhui is sure she didn’t want to be part of their drama.

As soon as the waiter left their table, Jeonghan started laughing, his laughter infectious. What even was that? Jungwoo is the perfect example of all bark but no bite, he definitely couldn’t handle Yoon Jeonghan talking back at him.

“What a loser,” Jeonghan says when his laugh tones down. He picks a fork and automatically digs on his plate.

“As you told me before, we can’t let him ruin our lunch time,” Junhui replies. He takes a napkin and cleans Jeonghan’s mouth corner, to which Jeonghan responds with a nose scrunch.

“Eat a lot Junnie, this restaurant is expensive as fuck so we better not leave food,” Jeonghan says with his mouth full.

Junhui looks at him with a disgusted face, “Don’t talk with your mouth full, baby,” he says. Jeonghan nods, then goes back to his food. Cute.

💘

If you ask Junhui, the days he spends with Jeonghan at their apartment are probably his favorite. They always come up with interesting ideas about how to spend the day in, Jeonghan, being the best at it ends up planning a colorful list of activities that sometimes don’t end up favorably to their poor apartment. Like that one time where they tried baking and decorating small cakes, Ina kicked over a bag of flour, resulting in their floor getting completely covered in white, ready to be put in the oven; Jeonghan mixed the toppings incorrectly and they couldn’t even finish decorating their cakes without it looking like an abstract sculpture. Or the other day when they decided to get a small pool to soak their toes in the living room while drinking beer and watching reruns of gossip girl. That would’ve been a successful plan if they didn’t own a cat, however, their little princess probably thought it was a great idea to sink her claws on the pool. That left them with a flooded living room and a soaked angry cat. He’s actually surprised their landlord hasn’t kicked them out yet. But it’s not always disastrous, Junhui sometimes comes up with great ideas, like today. The concept of their date today is an indoor picnic, Junhui moved the furniture of their living room to the corners, leaving a big space in the middle to lay a blanket. Jeonghan cut the fruits and put them on different plates, they even got wine out and a lemon pie Junhui bought at their favorite bakery down the street. The highlight of this date is that they will be painting, Junhui bought canvases, new brushes for Jeonghan and acrylic paints.

“You went all out with this one, Junnie,” Jeonghan says as he walks to the living room with a strawberry bowl on his hand.

“Only the best for you,” Junhui grins. Jeonghan looks at him with a disgusted look that quickly melts into a smile.

“That is so cheesy, never do that again.”

“What are you talking about, you love it,” Junhui retorts. He lays newspaper on the floor where they will be painting.

Jeonghan rolls his eyes, “Hm, maybe.” He crouches down to kiss Junhui’s temple.

“Now, paint me like one of your French girls,” Jeonghan announces. He lies down to the side in front of Junhui using his arm to hold his head upwards.

“Okay, take your clothes off then,” Junhui says as he scoots closer to Jeonghan.

Junhui gives Jeonghan a kiss, he tastes like strawberries, he must have been eating some at the kitchen before. Jeonghan takes Junhui’s cheeks on his hands and deepens the kiss, Junhui opens his mouth and lets Jeonghan dictate the pace, the kiss it’s slow, languid and sweet. When they break apart, Junhui looks at his boyfriend, the afternoon sunlight hitting his face tenderly making his skin look golden. Junhui’s heart aches, he has so much love for Jeonghan it makes him go insane. He smiles to himself and gives Jeonghan a canvas.

“You’re not ruining my date, mister, we’re painting on this fine afternoon,” Junhui speaks. He hears Jeonghan bursting in laughter, his favorite sound in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! if you like junhan let's be friends on [twitter](https://twitter.com/HSunHyuk)


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